The United States clinched their fourth International Para Hockey Cup title with a 3-0 victory over Canada in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The U.S. team capitalized on a short-handed goal and a power-play goal to secure the win.
Declan Farmer was instrumental in the U.S. offense, scoring a power-play goal in the second period and sealing the victory with an empty-net goal in the final minute. Head coach David Hoff commended the team’s solid performance, highlighting the strong effort across all aspects of the game.
The scoring began with Malik Jones intercepting a pass in the first period to score a short-handed goal. Farmer extended the lead in the second period with a skillful goal, while Griffin LaMarre made 11 saves to secure the shutout.
The U.S. team has maintained dominance in the IPH Cup, winning all four championships since the tournament’s inception in 2022. They outshot Canada 23-11 in the game, with a notable 9-0 advantage in the second period. The Americans converted one of their four power plays, while Canada was unsuccessful in all five attempts.
Looking ahead, Canada will host the Para Cup in Dawson Creek, B.C., as their final international competition before the Milan-Cortina Paralympics in March. Despite the loss, Canadian forward Greg Westlake expressed optimism about the team’s growth and unity moving forward.